While noted actor Randeep Hooda’s film ‘Swatantrya Veer Savarkar’ aroused much curiosity among the people, a Hindi multi-season web-series on the freedom fighter and reformer is slated for release in July on OTT platform. Ahead of the release, a one-hour promotional compilation of scenes will be premiered on May 28, the birth anniversary of Swatantryaveer Savarkar. Yogesh Soman, renowned writer-director-actor, revealed this in an interview to ‘The Hitavada’ on Sunday, on the sidelines of the Nagpur Film Festival at Jamnalal Bajaj administrative block of Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU). Soman was here to address a ‘Masterclass’ on script writing, direction, and acting. “Our intention behind making the web-series on Swatantryaveer Savarkar is to bring in public domain the lesser-known facets of the great freedom fighter’s life. It will have four seasons, each with nine or ten episodes. The schedule for the first season will end in April and it should be ready for release in July,” Soman said. The writer and director of the series shared that ‘Veer Savarkar: The Secret Files’ will be the first web-series on the freedom fighter and reformer.

 

The series will start with ‘Prayopaveshan’ (giving up food and water unto death, in the highest Yogic traditions) by Savarkar, and then the story will unfold through flashbacks. Asked if the film industry is becoming a battleground for narratives or planting of narratives by political forces, Soman replied, “Film industry has been planting narratives to influence the minds of the people. Since the 1970s, movies showed children going missing in ‘Kumbh Mela’, temple priests turning rapists, and showed Hindus in poor light.

 

This has been changing since 2014. People are liking the change as reflected in the success of courageous films like ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, ‘The Kerala Story’, ‘Emergency’. Film industry is all about profit and loss. Hence, profit-making determines success or failure of a narrative. If the above movies are making profits, it means people are liking the stories being told now.” According to the acclaimed writer-director and actor who played the role of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in ‘Uri’, fake narratives offer an opportunity to present facts. “Some may project fake narratives, but others may make fact-based films. Ultimately, the audience decides whether to support a film or not depending upon their exposure to surroundings and life experiences. Political, social, cultural exposure and globalisation shape the liking of the audience.

 

Today, youngsters’ liking has changed as they are exposed to world content at the click of an option. So, there is an opportunity more than ever to present right narratives,” he elaborated. On Marathi cinema, Soman said that the content was ‘really very rich’ but rued that ‘budget issues’ persisted. The film-makers, writer, directors, actors are all good in Marathi cinema, but the viewers lack the spirited approach to watching Marathi movies to ensure their commercial success so that more movies with rich content can be made, he added. To another question, Soman replied that creation lasted longer than the creator. “Every creation goes into a collective repository whether it’s commercially successful or not,” he said.